Exhibit 99.01
News Release


            SYMANTEC CORPORATION ANNOUNCES PROPOSED PRIVATE OFFERING
                        OF CONVERTIBLE SUBORDINATED NOTES

CUPERTINO, CALIF. - OCT. 17, 2001- Symantec Corporation (Nasdaq: SYMC) today
announced that it intends to raise, subject to market and other conditions, a
total of $425 million through a private offering of convertible subordinated
notes (which amount does not give effect to an option granted to the initial
purchaser to acquire an additional $75 million of the notes). The offering will
be made only to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A
under the Securities Act of 1933.

The company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering for general
corporate purposes, including working capital, potential acquisitions, stock
repurchases and investments in the company's infrastructure. The notes, which
will be convertible into shares of the company's common stock, will be due in
November 2006.

The securities to be offered have not been registered under the Securities Act
of 1933 or any state securities laws and unless so registered may not be offered
or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a
transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act
of 1933 and applicable state securities laws.

Symantec and the Symantec logo are trademarks or registered trademarks, in the
United States and certain other countries, of Symantec Corporation. Additional
company and product names

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may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are
respectfully acknowledged.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT: This press release contains forward-looking
statements, including statements regarding anticipated activities and results,
that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may
cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to
differ materially from results expressed or implied by this press release. Such
risk factors include, among others: the risks that current global adverse
economic conditions and reduced spending will continue or worsen; currency
exchange fluctuations will adversely affect our results; the continuing
integration of Symantec and AXENT will not be successful; the difficulty of
developing and marketing products that compete effectively with others; new
security threats and other economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory
factors affecting Symantec's business generally. Actual results may differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements in this press
release. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors is
contained in the Risk Factors sections of the Company's previously filed Form
10-K for the year ended March 30, 2001 and the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
June 30, 2001.


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